Monthly Archives: August 2013

Let’s head to the Bahamas with this beautiful destination wedding from Jeremy Harwell, one of the newest members of Snippet & Ink Select! Alison and Chris met in the Bahamas in 2004, so it only made sense to celebrate their nuptials in the place where it all began.

The bride’s favorite part of the day? “Leading the Junkanoo parade into the reception from cocktail hour.” Other fun details included starfish escort cards and a table where guests could write a message in a bottle.

The rain may have forced Emily and Raymond to change some of their wedding day plans at the last minute, but their celebration was no less beautiful or special because of it. And photographer Jessica Lorren was there to capture it all on film…

Bride, Emily, on the weather: “Initially we had every intention to be on the dock, closest to that lake to say our ‘I do’s’ if not for the rain or the unpredictable wind that day. My friend, Will, had spent months building an outside structure hung with glass bubbles for us to stand under and it was inconceivable we would be anywhere else. We waited to the last minute, but eventually the rain won out, so on that unusually cold late evening in May, we stood in front of the elegant white French doors of the charming boathouse and proceeded on, as if it had been our plan all along. It wasn’t the golden al fresco ceremony we had envisioned, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Down that aisle still stood my gorgeous groom and we were getting married! In hindsight, having the ceremony inside was a blessing in disguise. The minister dropped Ray’s ring during our exchange and I could only imagine the picture of our wedding party simultaneously jumping into that lake after that ring. My girlfriends, dressed in gold sequined Aidan Mattox dresses, would have sunk straight to the bottom!”

Says the bride, “I worked with Amy of Seaport Flowers for weeks as she meticulously perfected all my incomplete thoughts and ideas. Mercury glass vases, frosted goblets, and glass tumblers spilling with charm peonies and garden roses set the tone for our unbelievably intimate and romantic reception.”

For dessert there were two types of wedding cake: chocolate cake with layers of chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries, and pistachio cake with layers of rosewater buttercream and fresh raspberries with a vanilla buttercream frosting finish.

SEE THE FULL GALLERY FOR MORE LOVELY SHOTS OF THIS WEDDING AT THE BROOKLYN BOATHOUSE

Why did you choose this location for your wedding?Emily: We loved everything about our venue. I’m pretty sure it was love at first sight for me. I thought the boathouse was incredibly charming with all its French doors, high arches, and sweeping staircase. I couldn’t envision anything more perfect for our day. // Raymond: When I saw the venue in person for the first time, I just knew it was right. Sometimes you have a feeling that this is the right place.

What was your favorite moment or part of the day?Emily: For me, it was definitely our first look. Ray is usually pretty collected when it comes to his emotions, but he completely came undone when he turned around and saw me for the first time. Of course I thought my groom was gorgeous as well, but Ray’s emotional response really took me for surprise. It really was a special start to our day. // Raymond: There are two moments. The first is our first look before the wedding when Emily tapped my shoulder and I turned around and saw the most beautiful woman in my life. I was taken aback and lost it for a moment. The second is when the I heard the drums starting to play as our recessional song came on. My wife, the moment, my emotional tears, the song, it is forever etched in memory.

Did you include any traditions in your wedding? Ray is Chinese and I’m Korean and that could have proven to be a very lengthy and exhausting day if we had chosen to acknowledge all our customs and traditions. We wanted to respect what was important to our families, but asked that they also embrace the new Western traditions we grew up with as well. We agreed to a Chinese Tea Ceremony with our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding for Ray’s side, but we nervously insisted on our “first dance” with our usually reserved Asian parents on the day of. Ray and I danced with our parents to Laura Fygi’s version of “I Love You For Sentimental Reasons.” It was the first time either of us had been in such close physical proximity to our parents for any lengthy measurable amounts of time, but it was probably one of the fondest memories of the night!

What was the best advice you received as a bride? Don’t get stuck making the details perfect. You’ll have many more perfect days with your man so don’t focus on the one.

What advice do you have for other brides? Anything can go wrong, but everything will be all right! No, really, it will.

Do you have any budget tips for other brides? Splurge on what’s important to you; don’t get lost in what isn’t. I think as a bride you can get overwhelmed at what’s available to you. In the beginning you might think that you need it all and that can be really misleading, not to mention very costly. I focused on my must haves and questioned them frequently along my timeline to see if they still remained just as important.

Quick request before I share links with you… I’m looking for some new non-wedding blog reads and I want your input. Help me out and leave a comment with up to 10 of your very favorite blogs (design, food, baby, mommy, DIY, etc.) – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!

This weekend is jam packed for us… tonight is my friend’s birthday party (Happy 30th Susie!), we have another friend in town visiting, and then I’m hosting a baby shower for a third friend on Sunday. It seems like a lot after barely leaving the house all summer, but I’m really looking forward to all of these things – I love spending my days with baby, but it also is so nice to be social again! And, since it’s been awhile, I hope you’ll forgive me posting a pic of my Caroline who is almost three months old. (Thanks to my friend Samantha for the super cute bandana bib!)

Rustic and romantic is such a lovely combination for a wedding, especially when one of our Snippet & Ink Select vendors is involved! Shannon Leahy brought Morgan and Brendan’s vision for an elegant wine country wedding to life…

Morgan’s favorite part of the day? “During our ceremony we placed our weddings bands in a glass box with an “A” etched in the top of it. The officiant asked our guests to pass the box and to spend a moment holding our rings, giving us a blessing or good wish or whatever they felt like sending our way before we finished exchanging our vows and placing our bands on each others fingers. We will always be able to look down at our bands and know that they are not just symbols of our promises to one another, but that they hold love and blessings from each member of our family and close friends.”

Why did you choose this location for your wedding? It was the perfect blend of wine country elegance. Witt Estate offers an amazing barn with rustic elements and all the class, sophistication and comfort you could want.

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding? I had a pretty firm vision of what our wedding day would look like and I was truly inspired by the small, creative elements that each vendor brought to the table. They are all true professionals and helped to make our day uniquely ours.

What was the best advice you received as a bride? The best advice I received was from Shannon, my planner. She knows that’s I’m a “planner” personality and she looked at me and said, “Morgan, at some point it’s okay for you to let it go and just enjoy your day.” That happened about 30 minutes before I walked down the aisle and I was truly able to trust in Shannon and her “dream team” of vendors to execute my dream day.

What advice do you have for other brides? Enjoy the planning process and take a couple moments for yourself and your husband (alone) at your wedding. Just after our ceremony, Shannon ushered us off to a secret little area where there were no other guests and we were able sit at a small table for 5 minutes, toast each other with our favorite champagne and soak in what we had just done. Then we were ready to take on the rest of the evening.

Do you have any budget tips for other brides? Leave plenty of room in your budget for tipping your vendors, well. They work so hard on your special day and they deserve and appreciate it.

Is there anything else that helps tell the story of the day? It was filled with love. SO much love. Brendan and I were together for nearly 7 years before saying “I Do” and all our friends and family couldn’t have been more supportive or more happy to witness our love and commitment to each other.